During the American Revolution, the former store and office where Governor Jonathan Trumbull conducted his mercantile business became the headquarters for planning the defense of the colony of Connecticut in Lebanon, Connecticut. Here, in the War Office, Trumbull convened the Connecticut Council of Safety to handle day-to-day emergencies, and many of the more than 1,100 meetings of the council were held in this building from 1775 to 1784. Trumbull's experience in provisioning and his knowledge of supply locations throughout the region proved valuable when General George Washington called on him for supplies for the Continental Army. Military leaders known to have met with Trumbull and the council here included Generals George Washington, Henry Knox, Israel Putnam, Samuel Parsons, Joseph Spencer, and Jedidiah Huntington, as well as French allies Marquis de Lafayette, Count Rochambeau, Marquis de Chastellux, and Duc de Lauzun. The War Office is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has been owned and maintained by the Connecticut Society of the Sons of the American Revolution since 1891.

Photo: Michael Herrick

Photo: Michael Herrick

Photo: Michael Herrick

Photo: Michael Herrick

Photo: Internet Archive

Photo: Michael Herrick

Lebanon, Connecticut · USA